Thursday, April 14, 2016

Over the semester I have followed the blogs of several of my
classmates, and they never cease to amaze me with not only their intelligence, but
also their loving nature. Maybe that’s why they will all make great teachers?
These students have caught my attention in some way or another and I hope they
catch yours too!

On February 20, 2016 Garreth focused on the use of art as a
learning tool in the classroom, especially when it comes to special education
or special needs students. He mentions that we often overlook its usefulness
and similarly its necessity because we programmed to teach straightforward
subjects in a one-way manner, when in reality there are many different ways for
students to learn about the same topic. By not giving students the option to
learn in their own way and express their understanding of it to their educators
and cohorts, then we limit their ability to become educated people. We label
them as incompetent or unintelligent when it is just a matter of changing up
the lesson plan. I thought this was a very touching, and compassionate post and
although I tend not to focus on special education due to my own conformities,
it made me consider what I am missing.

For this post Caroline chose to write about formative
assessment, which drew my attention because it is one thing I struggle with
understanding. She mentions Kahoot!, which is a software in which teachers can
create educational games or quizzes for students to engage in and in doing so
the educator can track understanding and progress. I’ve enjoyed learning new
ways to have students actively engage but I also like to learn about ways that
teachers can also engage. One thing I find to be most important in a classroom
is relevant and intentional information, which is possible when educators fully
understand what their students are missing to understand the information
themselves. Often times a student will not raise their hand to ask a question
out of fear of being judged, so when an educator can provide a anonymous way to
track understanding, the entire class can benefit.

LaStacia used her recent blog to discuss communication and
collaboration. She specifically talked about Skype in the classroom and the
various ways an educator or students could use it as a class resource. Some of
the ways include visiting other classes, having a guest speaker, or going on a
virtual field trip (which I think is super cool). LaStacia also mentioned that
Skype in the Classroom is free to download for educators, students, and schools
which I absolutely love. Being able to go outside of the classroom without the
hassle of finances and permission gives students and teachers the opportunity
to explore a world that is usually out of their reach. And let’s not forget the
convenience. We all love when we can access things by the click of a button,
and having a doctor or solider speak to your class without having to convince
them to leave their home is quite convenient.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Boy oh boy! Technology never ceases to amaze me, especially
when it comes to education. Educators everywhere are steadily forming new
creative and innovative ways to interact with their students and provide
platforms for individual instructions. One way of doing this is by flipping
their classrooms. But, what does flipping the classroom mean?

By definition, a flipping a classroom is an instructional
strategy and a type of blended learning that reverses the traditional education
arrangement by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the
classroom. It moves activities, including that may have traditionally been
considered homework, into the classroom (Educause).

When creating a flipped classroom, you should think about these four
recommended pillars.

Four Pillars of FLIP

Flexible Environment, allowing students a range of times to
turn in assignments or being able to change the times because of additions or
misunderstandings of the assignment. Having a flexible schedule makes an easier
workspace for both students and teachers.

Learning Culture, typically students are bound to only learn
what instructors can teach, but in a flipped classroom, students can explore past
just the teachers’ knowledge. They can use links, watch videos, review power
points, etc. to study other relevant information.

Intentional Content, this is probably my favorite pillar.
When an instructor has easy access to intentional content, the students benefit
greatly. Every class of students is different and although classes in the same
grade level may need to understand the same information, they may have
different ways of acquiring that knowledge and a flipped classroom gives them
that opportunity. The teacher brings what the students need.

Professional Educator, although I love technology in the
classroom, no classroom is complete without an educator. Educators are required
to instruct, create, manage, and troubleshoot in and outside of the class. But
most importantly, students need to feel as if there is someone still there that
cares, watches, listens, and understands. Although the technology can give the
student a vast majority of what they need to learn, it can never take the place
of an educator that cares.

TedEd provides a platform for educators to use videos via
Ted Talk, TedEd, or YouTube and create a lesson for students. It also provides
tabs that are on the side of the lesson for students to engage in conversations
with each other and the teacher regarding the topic, for teachers to provide
quizzes to test the students’ understanding, and for students to find more
relevant information on the topic via links.

Most educators know how to make a PowerPoint presentation to
lecture on a topic on a classroom or provide notes for students. But when it
comes to flipping a classroom it can be very important for students to hear
your voice to feel a connection with you and especially to provide help to
auditory learners. It can also be helpful to use annotation functions to point
to particular topics or pictures on your slides and use your voice to explain
the importance of that slide or to present your entire lecture.

Well, I hope you all gained a little insight about flipped
classrooms! I look forward to creating some myself!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

3-D printing is a imaginative and innovative way to create objects right from your home! Or from wherever you can access one, as they can be a bit pricey. There are many different versions and each one may have a few different features, and use different software, but they all pretty much have the same goal...to make magic happen!
But seriously, some of you may be wondering what in the world I'm talking about, don't worry, I was in that same boat when the topic first reached me. But to summarize just how awesome this new technology is, here's how it works. A person can either use a software to uploaded an object onto a computer or a 3-D scanner (crazy, huh?) to scan in an object to the computer, that would then go to the 3-D printer, where it would start creating this masterpiece. It does so by using building and supporting material, similar to ink in a regular printer, that dispenses as needed in a layering form to build the object from the bottom to the top. These objects can range anywhere from a toy dinosaur to a globe, which is why I get so excited talking about 3-D printing.

Stay with me here. Imagine a classroom where anything you needed to teach a lesson, was at your fingertips. I mean, think about it. You want to do a lesson in geography but never thought to buy a globe, so you go on over to your 3-D printer, put in your design, and BAM! You have a globe! Think about how useful this could be in so many classrooms at so many levels. One scenario that comes to mind is a biology class. In both high school and college, how useful it would have been to be able to create cell structures or organs with a few clicks of a button. Kinesthetic learners would have the equal opportunities at learning as do visual and auditory learners. Teachers often instruct by speaking and giving examples or providing text and pointing out key notes both verbally and on a board or presentation, but not nearly as often are teachers able to provide the students with something they can hold to truly grasp the lesson.

I believe that having this technology on hand can greatly inspire both students and teachers to be creative, engaged, and assist in their learning and teaching experience. From counting blocks to the skeletal system, institutions would be able to provide access to some of the most useful and necessary learning tools at the drop of a hat!

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Hey guys!
Welcome to Ashley's blog! My name is Sally Crouch and I am a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and the owner of Schueler's Personal Care home and I will be your guest blogger for today. A little bit about myself: I have 3 children (all grown and out of the house) and 4 step-children (also grown and out of the house). I started my business almost 20 years ago as a Certified Nursing Assistant and went back to school to become and LPN about 9 years ago. Since then I have ran my business, worked for Trinity Hospice Care, and I began my journey as a grandmother almost 3 years ago. In these 3 short years, my husband and I have welcomed five grandchildren and we have one on the way! Time has gone by rather quickly and life has been full of joy. And although hectic, there is always some things that remain constant. As for my home, that is the importance of reading. Throughout my life, in all aspects, whether it be raising children, running a business, or just making a trip into the store, reading has proved to be the foundation to everything over and over again. When I look back and wonder what I would have done differently, the one thing I never regret is pushing my children to not only read, but to read well. Now that our grandchildren are here, we have the same goal for them. To be able to read means to have opportunities. When you can read, you can reach any goal you set. I grew up with a foreign mother, which meant I had to depend on educators and myself to learn how to read and that is one thing I never wanted my children or my grandchildren to have to worry about. This is a fine example of just how important educators are. Sometimes it is not as simple as a child can't read because they do not want to, but it is possible they have parents that can't teach them. It is because of people like you all (educators, future educators, or simply individuals that care) that children are able to make all of their dreams come true. When we take the time to sit down and teach a child to read a word, guide them through a book, or use our technology to help them communicate, we are opening doors to their future. We are providing them with the essentials they do to make the next steps of their lives. We are impacting their forever. With many odds against me, I was able to become a successful woman and care for my mother in her elder years. It is because of educators that took the time to work with me and guide me that I am the person I am today and I hope one day, you to will make a similar impact on a child's life. Thank you for taking the time to read a little about me!

Monday, February 29, 2016

Educational Technology has rapidly advanced over the last
decade or so. So fast actually, that teaching without it is almost unheard of.
I mean, who wants to spend valuable class time writing on a board when they can
prepare a lesson on a Flip Chart through Active Inspire that contains
interactive learning tools and creative ways of teaching to keep the students
engage. Why would someone waste paper and use a poster board to list goals of a
lesson when they could use a PowerPoint with all the notes, pictures, and
diagrams one could imagine?

Well if you’re like me and wouldn’t dream of taking up
valuable class time with something as time consuming as writing on a board,
than you would definitely be on board with this guy and his vision of how
technology is a fundamental aspect to teaching.

Ruben R. Puentedura

Puentedura created the SAMR model, which explains the
educational uses of integrating technology into the classroom. The model breaks
down into two sections, each with two parts. In this post I am going to do my
best to break down Puentendura’s model to help explain what it is and how it
can be applied to our very own teaching practices.

You can find many different videos on YouTube and other
useful sites to help you understand just what the SAMR is and how it works.
Here is the link and my notes to the video I found most helpful.

·Technology acts as a direct stool substitute
with no functional change

oExample: Writing an essay vs. typing an essay

§(A)ugmentation

·Technology acts as a direct tool substitute with
functional improvement

oExample: Google Docs to share your essay with other
students or teachers for feedback

·Section Two

oTransformation

§(M)odification

· Technology allows for significant tasks redesign

oExample: Link outside text and videos in essay

§(R)edefinition

·Technology allows for the creation of new tasks
that were previously inconceivable

oExample: students can use multimedia to publish their story
they created with the world

While watching the video on the SAMR model, I realized that
although I agree and supported technology in the classroom, I never took the
time to sit down and think about how vital it is to the students and their
education.In my elementary and on
through some of my middle school years, computers weren’t used very much in
education. We practiced typing on some little machines and played a few games
here and there are desktops, but connecting to the Internet inside of school
never happened until I entered high school. In high school, I took a computer
applications class, and by the end of it I thought I was the smartest person I
knew because no one in my family could do as much on a computer as I could.
Now, I’d say I’m nothing above average when it comes to technology. I can do
all the basics and catch on to things that are taught to me, but I have no
extensive knowledge. However, being able to share files, documents, etc., with
other classmates has made life so much easier in my college years. Technology
has made everything easier in my college years…

We can use many different kinds of technology in teaching.
Our options are almost infinite. For example if I wanted to teach students
about the United States and where the states are located and maybe their
capitals, populations, and the state flower, I could use a PowerPoint or a Flip
Chart. I could include a picture of the entire nation to show what all the
states look life together and then break it down state by state. Each slide or
page to the chart could include an individual picture of the state; color coded
by population in regions of the state with a key, and then a star and the name
of the capital where it is located. I could then bring up a picture of the
state flower and the history behind it. I could add a quiz at the end and leave
blanks for students to fill in information about the state of their choice. These are all things I can do in a reasonable
amount of time, to bring to class to teach students. This is an activity that
could hold the attention of the students and allow them to interact, and it
could be changed easily if any mistakes were made or if students had their own
ideas to add to it. I could also share this file with other educators so that they would be able to easily access it and use it as a tool to teach in their classroom. We would be teaching student the exact same thing they would
learn in a basic American History class, but with the fun and exciting
integrating of technology!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

If you have read the “About Me” section of my blog, it might
stand out that I am currently a Psychology major that plans to acquire a
Masters in Education. Throughout my college career I have found myself falling
madly in love with these two opposite yet similar fields and I would like to
use this post to explain just how they tend to mingle with one another.

In my current psychology research team, we are studying how
teaching styles in the classroom are reflective of parenting styles at home and
how they are equally influential on the education of the child as the parenting
style is on the lifestyle of that child. Diana Baumrind was a developmental
psychologist that identified three different types of parenting styles based on
the characteristics of “demandingness” and “responsiveness” between the parent
and child. These three styles include Permissive, Authoritative, and
Authoritarian. Other researchers later discovered a fourth type, neglectful or
indifferent, but for the sake of applying these concepts to teaching, we will
stick to the original three. The idea is that a neglectful or indifferent
teacher, is not a teacher. Permissive is a possibility but to be neglectful
would mean to be absent and to be absent is to be out of a job, therefore it’s
not really something we have to worry ourselves with when it comes to
education. Permissive parents are usually described as indulgent in that they
give in to their child’s every want and whim and typically do not set nor
enforce rules or structure in their house. Authoritarian parents are on the opposite
side of the spectrum in that they set strict rules and expect the children to
abide by them out of fear of some form of punishment and they typically do not
show any flexibility. Lastly,
authoritative parents, fall directly in the middle. They provide rules and
structure and expect their children to abide by them, however they listen and
reason with their children. There has been plenty of research over the past few
decades to support authoritative parenting to be the “ideal” parenting style,
but we now have research to also support it as the ideal teaching style.

Studies have shown that students with authoritative teachers
find themselves to be more interested in the class and academically successful.
Some researchers have done broad studies in just observing the teacher and class;
others have gone as far as evaluating the teachers and the test scores of the
students. Regardless of the method, they all had the same findings.
Authoritative teaching styles are far more beneficial to the students than
permissive or authoritarian. Studies have showed student scoring higher on
test, being engaged and respectful in the classroom, and even having a liking
of the teacher. All of these things make for an academically successful
student, which is why this is something present and potential educators should
take into consideration. When you are overly strict and instill fear in
children, they tend to block you out to avoid contact. However, on the opposite
end of that spectrum, when you allow them to do as they please, they tend to
lose respect for the teacher and do not stay on task. The idea of the
authoritative teaching style is that educators are able to enforce rules within
reason and allow for some flexibility when it comes to special circumstances.
Authoritative teachers are able to set a lesson plan and have students
incorporate their own ideas into it. And there should be a level of respect where
the students understand you are not their “friend” but you do care for their
wellbeing.

Most past studies have focused on younger ages between
preschool and fifth grade, but there has been recent research to support the
same idea in a college setting. My research team is focusing on college
professors and students’ class satisfaction as well as how well they liked that
particular professor and comparing those results with the reported teaching
style of the professor. It will be interesting to see these results in our own
university and I’ll be sure to share them all with you! Or you can watch me and
my team present it during Alumni Weekend on April 29th!